


Friendship equals love

by lost_noda_10



Category: Linkin Park
Genre: Friendship/Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:01:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 16,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27858749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lost_noda_10/pseuds/lost_noda_10
Summary: Mike and his friend Brad, who he has known since childhood, are living together. As their new roommate Chester fitted perfectly into their group of friends, they all decided to start a band. Everyone soon noticed that the two lead singer had this special connection. Unfortunately, Mike and Chester were the only ones not seeing that their behavior was more than friendship.
Relationships: Chester Bennington/Mike Shinoda
Comments: 26
Kudos: 9





	1. Memories

**Author's Note:**

> So, I've already posted this story on another side, but as I've heard of this one here, I thought, why not share it with all of you too. I hope you enjoy. As I'm not a native English speaker there might be some mistakes, even though I have someone who checks it for me before posting it.

Chapter 1 - Memories 

“Morning love.” Chester greeted his friend with a broad smile as Mike slowly made his way from the bathroom to the counter. His eyes half open. 

“Mornin’.” He replied and yawned. He was really tired. 

The blonde man placed a steaming mug of coffee in front of his friend who now had taken a seat on one of the bar stools. “Thanks.” The half-Japanese smiled softly. 

“You’re welcome. Tough night?” Chester asked while taking the pan with the scrambled eggs from the stove. It had become a routine that he made breakfast for his two friends after his night shift at the grocery store and before he went to bed. 

Mike yawned again. “It took me hours to adapt that original of my customer.” He rubbed his eyes. He loved his job as a graphic designer, but this assignment was stressing him out. 

Suddenly the door to their apartment opened. Both turned their heads as their third roommate entered the room. 

“Morning guys.” The man with the curly brown hair greeted them. “Wow, it smells fantastic in here. It really was a good idea to let you move in with us Chaz.” He smiled. 

“Hi Brad.” Both said in return. 

“I thought you were still sleeping in your room?” Chester looked at him questioning, dividing the eggs from the pan on two different plates. 

“Well, I did something similar to sleeping but not in my room.” Brad answered with a smirk. 

“Good for you Delson.” The blonde man replied with a grin. “Here is some protein for you. Guess you need it.” He placed one of the plates on the kitchen isle near the other one and the second plate in front of Mike. 

Brad laughed out loud. “Thank you. But I need to take a shower first.” At the bathroom door he turned around again, looking at Mike. “Oh, and love” He said with a grin, teasing the other one as Chester usually was the only one using that nickname for the half-Japanese. “There’s a package for you at the post office. I just took a note out of the mailbox.” After returning the gesture of Mike, sticking out his tongue, he went into the bathroom. 

The blonde one giggled. “He’s just jealous.” He winked at the other one, making him giggle as well before his face became serious again. “Who’s sending me a package?” 

“Well, did you order something?” Chester looked at him questioning while putting some scrambled eggs from Mike’s plate in his mouth. 

The other one thought for a second. He didn’t remember ordering anything. 

“Nope.” He answered, taking a sip of his coffee. 

“Whatever it is, keep my posted.” The blonde man smiled, handing his friend the fork he ate with before. “I’ll go to bed now.” As he made his way towards his room, he already started to undress himself by taking of his shirt and muscle shirt. Mike couldn’t help but to watch his friend closely. _’Gosh, he’s really hot.’_ He thought before shaking his head slightly. _’He’s your friend Mike. If you’re that desperate you should take care of yourself more often.’_ He couldn’t help but to smirk. He really was stressed and a little horny right know. Therefore, jerking off would help with both. He gulped down his coffee, ate the rest of the scrambled eggs and made his way into his room. Brad should be finished anytime soon, and he would be there, waiting in front of the bathroom door, fresh clothes in his hands and ready to take a soothing shower and care of himself. 

After the shower and another hour of work at his desk as his job could be done in home office, he went to the post office to get the mysterious parcel. 

Back at the apartment Brad and Chester greeted him as he entered. Both sat on the large brown leather sofa. The brown-haired one played a video game and the other one was next to him, watching. 

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” Mike asked, after he had slipped out of his shoes and made his way over to his roommates. 

“Yeah, but something woke me up and I couldn’t fall back asleep.” Chester replied, eyes almost closed, making some room for the half-Japanese to sit down between the two men. 

“Is that the package?” The blonde one asked while covering himself a little more with the beige blanket which normally was just for decoration purposes. He looked really sleepy. 

“Yep. My mom sent me some stuff from my old room. Guess she wants to use it as an office or something like that.” Mike replied. He had sneaked a peak already. 

Carefully he opened it again. On the top was a photo album and some loose pictures. 

“Aw, is that you?” Chester suddenly asked, reaching into the box and taking out a few pictures. 

Mike looked at the photos and blushed. Most of them showed him as a toddler and a teenager. 

“Even as you were able to choose your outfit yourself you sucked at it.” Brad stated laughing, referring to one picture where his friend had red hair and too lose clothes, before he focused back on his video game. 

“Don’t listen to him. I think you looked cute.” The blonde one smiled, pointing to one photo were the other one was about five years old. “But thankfully you’ve chosen to wear different pants now.” He continued and started laughing, now looking at a picture were Mike was a teenager and really into baggy clothes. The half-Japanese blushed. 

“You don’t have to be embarrassed love. We all have made some weird fashion choices.” Chester replied with a grin as he noticed the redness in the other one’s face. Mike smiled softly at his friend and looked further into the box. His mother had sent him some report cards and other documents from school. Suddenly he spotted some vinyl. His heart started to beat faster. In a hurry he took a closer look and started to smile broadly. He has been looking for those records for a while now and thought he had lost them. Even though he had no record player anymore he was happy that his favorite pieces were back in his possession. 

“Who’s that?” Chester’s voice tore him out of his thoughts. He turned to face the man next to him who was showing him a picture of four people standing next to a snowman. 

The half-Japanese smiled sadly. “That’s me, my brother, Brad and my father.” He replied. 

Brad paused his game to look at the picture as well. “Oh yeah, I remember this.” The brown-haired man smiled softly. He and Mike used to be neighbors growing up. 

“I didn’t know that you have a brother.” The blonde one looked at his friend, feeling that the mood had changed suddenly. 

“Had.” The half-Japanese replied. “My father and my brother died in a car accident a few days after this photo was taken.” Brad squeezed the shoulder of his friend before continuing his game. Even though it had happened many years ago he knew that his friend was still hurt. 

“Oh, love, I’m sorry to hear that.” Chester answered, snuggling up against the right arm of his friend. 

“Thank you but it’s alright. Guess we all have been through some stuff in the past.” The half-Japanese said with a soft smile. 

“Yeah.” The blonde one stated, a hint of sadness in his voice as he put the pictures on the coffee table. Mike looked to his side. As his friend was leaning against him, he couldn’t see his face. But it felt like the other one knew what it meant to lose someone. 

“Can we order some Chinese food today?” Brad asked after a few minutes. He didn’t like the silence after such a heavy topic. 

The half-Japanese carefully put everything back into the box. “Sure, but only if you promise me to ask Rob and Dave about the band today.” He smiled, slowly leaning against the back rest of the sofa. The body of the petite man automatically moved with him. 

“Even if I wanted to forget about it I couldn’t as you’re reminding me about it almost every hour.” The other one replied with a grin. “I’ll text them later. I promise.” His features softened. He knew that this was really important to his friend. Since they were kids Mike was always talking about making music, showing him the newest tracks from his favorite musicians and trying to convince him to learn an instrument. 

“Thank you.” The man next to him answered with a soft smile. 

As Brad focused back on the TV again, Mike carefully pulled out his right arm from under the blonde one. Chester now leaned against his upper body. He watched his friend closely as he didn’t move at all and he could only hear him breathing quietly. _’Seems like he has fallen asleep.’_ He thought with a smile. He slowly covered him with the blanket a little more and laid his arm on him, pressing him carefully more against himself. _’If I move, he’ll probably wake up, but he really needs to rest after his night shift.’_ As he knew that it wouldn’t be a problem if he'd continue his work a little bit later, he stayed on the couch, watching his friend play his video game and serving as a pillow for the other one.


	2. Dreams

Chapter 2 - Dreams 

“Love?” Chester whispered, carefully closing the door behind him after he’d entered the room of his friend. 

“Hm?” It sounded in the dark. 

The blonde man made his way over to the bed. A light beam from a streetlamp in front of the window revealed a part of a sleepy looking half-Japanese. The curtain hasn’t been fully closed. They exchanged a look and Mike lifted the blanket for the other one to get in. Chester smiled as he slipped under it. The dark haired one covered his friend with the fabric, slid closer and put his right arm around the other one’s upper body. 

“Bad dream?” He asked whispering, his breath tingled Chester’s ear. 

His roommate just nodded, enjoying the warmth. 

“Night.” Mike pressed his friend closer to his body, snuggling up against him. 

“Night.” The other one whispered, reaching for the hand of his friend, holding it with his own two hands near his chest. 

Mike smiled at the sight of Chester next to him. The blonde one was a very impulsive and loud guy but every now and then he showed his more sensitive side. The half-Japanese remembered the first time this had happened. A few weeks ago, they both where alone in the apartment and in the middle of the night he woke up to a screaming Chester in the other room. He had a nightmare and after Mike had hold him in his arms for a few minutes, calming him down, the other one asked if it would be okay for him if they would spend the night together. Sure, they both got along pretty well already, even though Chester had just moved in three weeks ago but sleeping in one bed was something else. However, he did agree to it and never regretted it since. He too felt lonely in some nights and enjoyed the warmth and smell of another human being next to him. 

He carefully got up and made his way to the door. He took a brief boxer, some pants and a t-shirt from the chair at his desk, next to the door and left the room. 

“Morning.” Brad’s voice made him jump. “Did you spend the night with someone?” He asked with a grin. 

Mike stuck his tongue out at the other on as he closed the door behind him. “Chaz had another nightmare.” He explained, placed his clothes on the counter and grabbed a mug near the sink to pour himself some coffee. 

“How often did that happen now? I mean, you can tell me if you’re fucking, I don’t mind.” The brown-haired man stated, shrugging his shoulders. Mike blushed. Of course, the blonde man was his type. He was good looking, funny and smart but still, after almost three months, he didn’t know if the other one liked men or women. And even if he was gay too, he would probably never find someone like the half-Japanese attractive. He wasn’t anyone special. They were just close friends and that was fine with him too. 

“We’re not.” He answered, rolling his eyes. “Did you ask Rob and Dave about making music?” He changed the topic. 

Brad smiled. He was well aware of the fact that his friend wouldn’t mind if he and Chester would do more than just sleeping next to each other. “Yeah, they are into it and will come over today to watch this one movie they’d talked about the last time.” He answered and got up from the couch. 

“Great, I’ll text Joe and ask Chaz if he has time today as well.” Mike smiled before he took a sip of his coffee. He had hoped that his friends were into this music thing too. Since he was a child, making music was his passion. 

“Time for what?” Chester’s voice suddenly made both men jump. He stood at the door frame, only in his boxers. 

“A threesome.” Brad replied with a grin. Although he too had no clue about the sexuality of the blonde one and didn't really care, he knew that he was always up to make some sexual innuendos. 

“I’m in.” The half-naked man smirked before he made his way to the bathroom. The other one laughed out loud while Mike blushed. Luckily, the others didn’t seem to notice and he inconspicuous took a deep breath before speaking. “Rob and Dave will join our band.” He smiled, grabbing his clothes. 

“Great! I can’t wait to become famous.” Chester replied with a grin and disappeared into the bathroom. The other two giggled. 

“Well, I’m off to work. See you later.” Brad stated, waved and went out the door after he took his keys and jacket from the wardrobe. 

Mike smiled. This was going to be a great day. He had a good night’s rest, a day off and would spend the evening with his friends and start a band. 

“Hi guys. Look who I’ve found outside on the streets, selling their bodies.” Brad laughed as he entered the apartment, two men behind him. 

“We all need to pay rent.” The red-haired one named Dave said, shrugging his shoulders. 

“Alright, if this is going to be an orgy, I need to take a shower first.” Chester said with a straight face. 

The others exchanged a look before falling in a fit of laughter. Even though the blonde one was only part of their group of friends for a few months now, he fitted in perfectly. 

“Sorry Chaz, but I rather would participate in an orgy where at least one person doesn’t have a dick.” The other one, named Rob replied laughing. 

“Sounds logical.” Chester giggled, got up from the armchair and made his way into the bathroom. 

“Where’s Joe?” Brad asked after he took of his jacket and shoes. The other two did the same. 

“I’m here.” The voice of the Korean sounded from the kitchen. He closed the door of the fridge, a soda in his hand and smiled. 

“Gosh Mike, I’ve told you not to let him near our food unsupervised.” The brown-haired man stated, playfully rolling his eyes. 

“I’m a Ninja! I move faster as the speed of light!” Joe answered with a grin and went past them to sit down on the armchair. “What movie are we watching today? And can we order pizza?” He asked before taking a sip of his drink. 

“First of all, I’d like to talk about the band.” Mike answered with a shy smile. 

Dave laughed while taking a seat on the smaller leather couch. “Sure, I can’t wait to remove the dust from my bass.” 

“Yeah, my drums really need some action again.” Rob replied with a grin, sitting down next to the red-haired one. 

“Great, but where are we going to practice? I’m going to sing and scream really loud.” Chester asked with a grin, after returning from the bathroom and now standing next to the bigger couch. 

“My basement.” The future drummer of the band answered. “We wouldn’t bother anyone and don’t need to pay a rent or something like that.” 

“Would your parents be okay with that?” Mike looked at him questioning. 

“I don’t live with them; they live with me!” He stated. “They don’t have to be okay with it.” 

There was silence for a few seconds. 

“But you’ve asked them, right?” Brad asked. 

The drummer blushed as he nodded, making the others giggle. 

“Awesome, so, um, what about next Wednesday?” The half-Japanese suggested. He couldn’t wait to show the others the lyrics and melodies he had come up with already. 

“I do have a night shift before but that’ll be no problem.” Chester replied with a smile. He too was excited. 

As they all agreed on the date and time, they finally ordered pizza.


	3. Friendship

Chapter 3 - Friendship 

“Fuck man, why are we watching something like that after we just ate?” Brad asked grimacing as the movie showed how a hand full of strange looking humans ate a woman alive. 

“It’s really realistic, isn’t it?” Rob answered with a smile. 

“Too realistic.” Mike said, not able to keep his eyes on the screen for too long. He was not a fan of those kind of movies at all. He had taken the blanket from the backrest and had covered himself up to his chest with it. 

“Come on Mikey, it’s just a movie.” Joe stated while eating another piece of pizza. The others laughed out loud. The Korean could eat all day long. 

As they continued watching, the half-Japanese suddenly saw a movement out of the left corner of his eye. As he turned his head, Chester looked at him questioning, holding one end of the blanket in his hand. The other one just nodded. He didn’t mind sharing. The petite one smiled and covered his lower body. 

A loud scream in the movie made Mike jump. The others didn’t notice as they were too focused on the TV. Suddenly the warm breath of Chester hit his ear. “Should we force them to watch a romantic movie or documentary next time?” He whispered with a grin, knowing that his friend would be more into that and that the rest of the guys weren’t at all. The half-Japanese giggled and nodded. He was glad that he wasn’t the only one not liking this movie. The blonde man slowly slid closer until their bodies were touching. “Can’t get crazier than eating someone alive, can it?” He asked quietly. “Hopefully not.” Mike answered whispering and felt how his friend grabbed his hand under the blanket. As they were now holding hands Chester looked at him again. “We’ll make it through.” He shot an encouraging smile before he focused back on the TV. The other one smiled as well. He was thankful to have found a good friend in the future singer of their band. 

“Well, this was a very, um, strange movie.” Dave said while the credits showed on the screen. 

“I liked it.” Rob stated, shrugging his shoulders. 

“Guess that makes you strange.” Chester replied laughing. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love a good horror movie but that was um, trash.” He still sat close to the half-Japanese. 

“I agree.” Mike rose to speak. “Does anyone want a beer?” He asked looking around and got up. 

“Alright, next time we’ll watch something you’d like.” Brad answered with a grin. 

“But please no documentary about a music genre or something like that.” Rob replied, playfully rolling his eyes. 

The half-Japanese stuck his tongue out and made his way to the kitchen. Suddenly his phone vibrated. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the screen. It was an e-mail from his client. 

“What’s wrong?” Chester asked, as he was watching him and couldn't tell what the facial expression of the other one meant. The rest of the band turned to look at Mike as well. 

The half-Japanese sighed. “Seems like it’s going to be a long night for me.” This was frustrating. He shoved his phone back into his pocket, grabbed the last six pack from the fridge and walked back to his friends where he placed it on the coffee table. 

“Why?” Brad asked, taking a bottle and opened it. 

“I just got an e-mail from this customer. His assignment is due in two weeks. Or at least it was until today. He wants it by the end of this week.” He explained, running his hand through his hair. 

“Man, that sucks.” Rob stated, grabbing a beer as well. 

“Yeah, can’t you take care of it tomorrow?” The blonde one looked at him questioning. 

“Nope. I already have this other assignment that needs to be finished by Monday.” Mike said, taking a bottle of beer from the table. “Well, I’m off to work guys. Have fun.” He smiled sadly. Turned around and made his way into his room. 

**beep beep beep**

Mike rumbled as he shut off his alarm. _’Too early.’_ He thought while rubbing his eyes. He went to bed around 5 a.m. and it was now 10 a.m. “Well, five hours of sleep are better than nothing.” He said to himself and sat up to stretch. Luckily, he had made some good progress and could run some errands before he would need to sit at his desk again. 

Dressed in an old washed-out t-shirt and some brief black boxers, he stepped out of his room. The first thing he noticed was the smell of coffee. He looked around. 

“Brad? Chester?” He called out but didn’t receive an answer. In the kitchen he grabbed a clean mug from the sink and poured himself some of the brown liquid. _’Guess they both have left for work already.’_ He thought, happy that he wouldn’t bother anyone as he had planned on vacuuming. He smiled. Sometimes he found chores relaxing. 

“Hello Sir, may I show you our wide range of sexy underwear?” A voice from behind made him jump. Shocked he turned around. Chester looked at him with a grin before he started laughing. “You should see your face right now.” 

“Fuck Chaz, don’t scare me like that.” Mike’s heartbeat started to slow down again. He took a deep breath. 

“Sorry love.” The other one replied still laughing. “Could you finish your assignment?” He asked, taking the shopping cart next to his friend. 

“No, but I’ve made enough progress to take care of some other important stuff.” He smiled. “And as our fridge is empty, shopping is one of it.” They both started to walk the isle. 

“You didn’t need to come here. I could have brought everything with me after work.” The blonde one answered while watching his friend checking the shopping list and putting an item in the cart every now and then. 

“Nah, I don’t mind.” Mike replied with a soft smile, taking some noodles from the shelf. He really was glad to get out of the apartment sometimes. 

They silently walked next to each other for a few seconds. Suddenly the half-Japanese stopped and looked at his friend, raising an eyebrow. “Did you get new shirts?” 

“Um, yeah, somehow green seems to be the shit these days.” Chester answered, shrugging his shoulders and looking down on himself. It felt like his boss was changing the color of their work clothes every few weeks. 

“Suits you, just like everything.” Mike said with a smile before his eyes widened. _’Fuck, I hope he doesn’t get that the wrong way.’_ He didn’t mean to flirt with his friend. Luckily, he was able to soften his features again as the future singer of their band looked at him. 

“Do you think so? Um, thank you.” He smiled sheepishly. 

_’Wait. Is he blushing?’_ The dark-haired one thought and fought the urged to smirk. Even if he was just imagining it, he liked the idea of it. 

“Chester?” A woman's voice suddenly sounded next to them. 

“Hi Sam, what’s up?” The blonde on asked, turning to the left. 

“Can you help me in isle three?” She smiled at him, not looking at Mike once. 

“Sure.” Chester replied, before he faced his friend again, smiling. “See you later.” 

“Bye.” The half-Japanese waved, watching the two walk away before he continued shopping for groceries. _'Did I do something wrong?’_ He thought as the behavior of Sam was strange. She used to be nicer to him.


	4. Progress

Chapter 4 - Progress 

**knock knock**

Mike jumped a little and turned his head to the right. 

The door of his room opened slowly, revealing a softly smiling Chester. 

“Hi love.” 

“What?” The half-Japanese replied, his voice sounded rougher than he had intended to. 

“Oh, um, sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you.” His friend answered, looking sad now. 

Mike sighed. “Sorry, didn’t mean it like that.” He apologized, smiling softly. “What’s up?” 

“Um, nothing. I’m just trying not to fall asleep as I have to go to work in about an hour.” He laughed, entering and closing the door behind him. 

“Did you try coffee yet?” Mike asked with a smirk whereupon the other one nudged him on the shoulder with a grin. 

“So, are you still working on this one assignment?” The blonde made his way to the bed, sitting down. 

“No, thank God I’ve finished it just on time.” The half-Japanese answered. “Right now, I’m trying to get ahead of my schedule so I can focus on our first band practice the day after tomorrow.” He smiled. Thinking about making music made him happy. 

“You’re such a grown up.” Chester laughed out loud as he lied down on the bed, looking at the ceiling. 

“I try.” The other one replied with a smile. Seconds later he continued working on his laptop. 

“Have you ever thought about stars?” The voice of his friend sounded after some minutes. 

Mike turned around, raising an eyebrow. “You mean the universe?” 

Chester giggled. “No. For your ceiling. There are stickers or some are made of plastic too which you can stick to the wall and will glow in the dark.” He explained. 

“Sounds cool.” The other one answered, got up and lied down next to his roommate, feet still on the ground, looking at the ceiling. 

“Imagine hundreds of stars. Big and small ones. Some planets too.” Chester said with a soft smile. 

“Yeah, guess that would look awesome.” Mike replied. He really liked that idea. 

“We could build our own little galaxy or just the sky with some different stars and zodiac signs.” 

There was silence for a few seconds before the petite one looked at the half-Japanese. “Does it bother you?” 

The other one turned his head to face his friend. “What do you mean?” 

“My nightmares.” Chester smiled weakly. 

Mike grinned. “That’s a weird question as I’m not the one having them.” 

His friend laughed out loud. “You’re an idiot.” 

“I know.” 

Suddenly the dark-haired's heart started to beat faster. “Um, maybe it would help if you um, would talk about them.” He has been curious for a while now. What did the other one dream about that made him that upset that he couldn't fall back asleep alone anymore? 

“Probably not.” Chester replied, facing the ceiling again. “Also, I wouldn’t have a reason to bother you every now and then. I mean, someone needs to make sure you’re getting a good night's rest.” He grinned. 

“You’re such a thoughtful person.” Mike stated, grinning as well. 

“I know.” 

They both laughed out loud. 

“Alright, guess I should leave you alone now and get ready for work.” Chester said and sat up straight. 

“Yeah, I should really get back to work too.” The other one replied, stretched and got up. 

They said their goodbyes and the petite man was gone. 

Two days later they finally met for their first band practice. 

“Thank God Rob still lives with his parents.” Brad said laughing as they walked down the stairs to the basement. 

“You mean they live with him.” Dave replied with a wink. 

“Doesn’t matter, as long as we have some place to practice.” The singer said with a smile before he yawned. 

“Hi guys.” Joe greeted them as they reached the bottom of the stairs. He sat on one of the wooden chairs, his small mixing console on his lap. 

“Wow, that’s a really nice basement.” Dave said, while taking his bass and speaker into one corner of the room. 

“Yeah, we’ve brought two new rugs for this area there which helps with the sound.” Mike answered, pointing a few feet away while sitting on the black couch, unraveling some cables. 

“And I’ve already ordered wall hangings to soundproof that area as well.” Rob smiled. 

“So, I can be as loud as I want?” Chester asked with grin, making the others giggle. As he sat down next to the half-Japanese he yawned again. 

“Tired?” The other one asked. The singer nodded, tilting to the right to lean against his friend. 

“Didn’t you get some sleep after work?” Mike asked. 

“Nah, not really.” The petite one replied. “But at least I was able to find all my notes with the lyrics I’ve already written.” He smiled. 

“Alright.” Brad said, clapping his hands to get everyone's attention. “Let’s get started.” 

“And I've got nothing to say   
I can't believe I didn't fall right down on my face   
Looking everywhere only to find   
That it's not the way I had imagined it all in my mind   
What do I have but negativity   
'Cause I can't justify the way, everyone is looking at me   
Nothing to gain, hollow and alone   
And the fault is my own, and the fault is my own” Mike rapped before Chester sang the last verse. 

“I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real   
I wanna let go of the pain I've felt so long   
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm close to something real   
I wanna find something I've wanted all along   
Somewhere I belong” 

As the melody faded the singer took a sip from his water bottle. 

“Wow, that sounds really good for our first song.” Rob stated stretching. They were practicing for almost five hours now. 

“Yeah and Mike, you’re great at rapping.” Dave smiled. The MC blushed. 

Suddenly Chester’s phone started ringing. As the rest of the guys put their instruments away and drank something, he took the call. 

“Hi Sam.” He greeted the woman on the other end of the phone. After a few seconds he spoke again. “Um, yeah, sure.” There was another pause before he giggled. “Alright, bye.” He ended the call and walked to the couch to sit down, taking another sip from his water bottle. Mike couldn’t help but wonder what his friend had giggled about. 

“Should we call it a day?” Brad asked, looking around. 

“Yeah, Sam just asked if I would swap my shift with Nicole’s, so I could help her tomorrow when she’s taking the inventory.” The singer answered and stretched. 

“Alright, should we meet up in three days again?” The bassist Dave asked, receiving a nod from everyone. 

Linkin Park – Somewhere I belong


	5. Taking care

Chapter 5- Taking care 

“Hi guys.” The singer greeted his friends as he entered the apartment. 

“Hi Chaz.” Brad and Mike said in union. 

“What are you up to?” He asked, sitting down on the big leather couch next to the half-Japanese. 

“Brad’s killing some zombies and I’m thinking about some lyrics.” The MC answered. 

“Those aren’t just zombies.” Brad interfered, not taking his eyes of the TV. “Those are vampire zombies.” 

The other two giggled. 

“Are you alright?” Mike asked the singer, after taking his eyes of the notepad. His friend didn’t look that well. 

The other one shrugged his shoulders. “I’m probably just tired from work and from practicing yesterday.” He leaned his head against the backrest of their big brown leather couch, closing his eyes. 

“Did you eat and drink enough today?” The MC kept asking. 

Chester smiled softly. “Yes dad.” 

“I’m serious Chaz.” 

“I wasn’t very hungry today.” He admitted in a quiet voice. 

The other one thought for a second. 

“Maybe you get sick?” Mike reached out to put his hand on the forehead of his friend. “Hm, you feel a little hot.” 

Suddenly Brad paused his game and looked at the blonde one, panic in his eyes. “Sick? Keep your germs to yourself!” 

The singer looked sad now. 

“Calm down Brad.” The MC flashed him a slightly angry glance. “And you will go to bed now. I’ll make you some soup and a tea.” He got up, looking at Chester. 

“But it’s too early for that and I want to stay with you and Brad. I don’t want to be alone in my room.” The petite one answered. 

“If you don’t rest you won’t be able to practice with us in two days. Do you want that?” The half-Japanese asked in a firm voice. He really was worried for his friend. 

Chester slightly shook his head. 

“Do you want to stay in my room while I get some work done?” 

The face of the singer lighted up a little. “Really?” 

Mike smiled softly, nodding. 

“If you get sick too, I swear I’ll move out for a few days.” The guitarist looked at his friend. 

“Promise?” The other one teased him. 

The brown-haired one stuck his tongue out. 

“We’ll keep the germs in my room, okay?” The MC answered with a grin. Brad really feared diseases. 

“Come on, time to rest.” The half-Japanese said, placing his notepad and pen on the coffee table before carefully grabbing Chester by his arm. 

“Make yourself at home. Do you need anything before I go and make you something to eat?” Mike asked after they’ve entered his room. The other one grinned. “Do you mind if I sleep naked? And no, I’m fine, just tired.” 

His counterpart giggled. “Seems like you’re feeling better already.” The MC smiled and left. 

Fifteen minutes later he returned with a chamomile tea and a small bowl of chicken soup. Luckily, his mom brought some with her and had put it in the freezer as she had visited the last time. 

“Chaz?” He asked in a whisper. 

“Yeah.” The other one answered. He lied on the right side of Mike’s bed, covered with the blanket up to his bare chest. 

The MC hesitated. _’Wait, is he really naked?’_ He thought. 

“Don’t worry, I’m still wearing underwear.” His friend answered with a grin. 

Mike laughed nervously. Why did the other one knew what he was thinking? He slightly shook his head to focus again. 

“Alright, here’s some soup and a tea.” He stated, placing the items on the nightstand. 

“Thank you.” The singer smiled sheepishly. It has been a while since someone had taken care of him. 

“You’re welcome. Enjoy your meal. I’ll be over there working. Just call me if you need anything.” 

“Love?” Chester’s voice tore Mike out of his thoughts. He put his pen down and turned around. 

“How do you feel?” He asked and looked at the time. Three hours have past already and after he couldn’t hear his friend eating anymore, he knew he must have fallen asleep. 

“Tired.” The singer answered. 

“Well, get back to sleep then.” The MC replied with a soft smile. 

“Um, aren’t you tired too?” Chester asked sheepishly. 

Mike looked at him confused. “Um, well a little I guess.” 

A few seconds passed before the petite one rose to speak again. “Um, when are you going to bed?” 

“Soon?” The half-Japanese answered. Why did his friend ask such weird questions? “Do you need anything?” 

The singer hesitated. “No, I, um, I just thought you would get in bed too.” 

Mike smiled. “Now that I think about it, I’m really tired. Give me a minute and I’ll be with you.” He winked at his friend before he turned off his laptop and went to the bathroom. 

As he returned the singer was still cuddled up in the sheets, looking sleepy. The MC smiled softly. He took off his jeans and changed his t-shirt before he switched the light off and got in bed as well. After getting cozy he looked at Chester. “Are you too tired to cuddle?” He grinned. 

The other one giggled slightly. “Never.” He answered. 

“Come here.” Mike replied, lifting his blanket a little. The singer slid closer, letting his friend put his arm under his head. The MC pressed him against his body and slowly started to stroke his back. 

“Night Chaz.” He whispered. Of course, he liked being that close to his friend, but he could also sense earlier that a sick Chester just needed more affection. He listened to the other one breathing for a while and suddenly planted a kiss on his head. He froze for a second. _’Fuck, what are you doing Shinoda?’_ He thought. Even though they were really close, which he didn’t mind, a kiss was something else. As the other one didn’t react, he sighed. _’Thank God he is asleep already.’_ With that he continued stroking his friend’s back before he too drifted off to sleep eventually.


	6. Chapter 6 – Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A happy new year and thank you for taking the time to read this :) I appreciate the Kudos <3

The next morning the half-Japanese stood in the kitchen, making a light breakfast for his friend who still was in bed, sleeping. He had already cut up some fruits and had made some coffee. Suddenly the front door opened silently. As he noticed this out of the corner of his eye, he turned around and watched Brad tiptoeing into the apartment. 

“Did you really leave because Chaz didn’t feel well yesterday?” Mike looked at him with a grin. 

The guitarist jumped a little before he blushed. “Um, no, I mean, not just because of that.” 

The MC rose an eyebrow. Suddenly he noticed something. “Wait. Isn’t that your ‘good’ shirt?” He asked, looking at his friend closely. 

The other one’s face turned even redder as he put his shoes away and stepped into the kitchen to get himself a coffee. 

“Say, where did you spend the night?” Mike grinned while placing a glass of orange juice on the wooden tray. 

“You’re making breakfast? Is he feeling better?” Brad asked before taking a sip from his mug. 

“Don’t change the subject Bradford.” 

The other one hesitated. 

“Wow, it’s the first time since I know you that you don’t brag about the woman you were with.” 

The guitarist just took another sip of his coffee. 

“Wait, is it something serious?” The half-Japanese looked at him in surprise. His friend wasn’t a total womanizer, but he did had sex with different women two to three times a month. 

“I, um, I don’t know.” He shrugged his shoulders. 

“Wow, Delson.” Mike smiled. 

“Mikey?” The voice of Chester suddenly sounded. 

“I’ll get ready for work.” The guitarist said, glad that his friend got distracted now. 

“We’re not done yet.” The MC called out after the other one as he disappeared into the bathroom. 

Mike quickly grabbed the tray and made his way to the singer. 

“Hi sleepy, how are you feeling?” He asked smiling after entering his room. The other one was almost completely hidden under the blanket. 

“Better.” Chester answered with a soft smile and carefully sat up straight, stretching. 

_’Gosh, he’s really good-looking.’_ The MC thought, watching the half-naked body of his friend move. _’Focus Shinoda!’_ He shook his head slightly. “I hope you’re hungry.” He made his way over to the bed. The other one’s face lighted up. 

“Is that for me?” He asked in disbelief as the tray was placed in front of him. 

Mike nodded smiling. “I thought some vitamins are a good idea. Do you mind if I get some work done?” 

Chester looked sad now. “But I don’t like eating by myself.” He answered. 

The MC giggled. “Alright, I think I can keep you company for a few minutes.” 

“Thank you for this.” The singer said after his friend got in bed next to him. “Do you want some?” He pointed to the bowl full of fruits. 

“You’re welcome and no, I’m not hungry.” Mike answered. “Are you going to call in sick today?” 

“Nah, I don’t think so. I feel better already.” Chester replied while eating some grapes. 

“But maybe a day off is a good idea to recharge your batteries?” The half-Japanese looked at him questioning. 

The other one thought for a second. He took a sip of his coffee before he turned to face his friend with a grin. “Does that mean I can stay here all day long and you’ll wait on me?” He put another grape in his mouth. 

Mike laughed out loud. “No.” 

“Well, I’ve tried.” The singer shrugged his shoulders with a smile. “But maybe a day off would really be a good idea.” 

Suddenly they could hear the door of the bathroom open and close again. 

Mike’s eyes widened as he remembered something. “I totally forgot to tell you that I think that Brad has a girlfriend.” 

“What?” Chester stopped his movement and looked at him in surprise. “How do you know that? Did you meet her?” He sounded excited. 

The other one giggled. “No, but he wore one of his nice shirts and had spent the night somewhere else and as I’ve asked him about it, he blushed and didn’t know what to say.” 

“Really? Interesting.” The singer smiled. “Brad?” He called out suddenly. 

After a few seconds the guitarist appeared at the door. “Yeah?” He asked, looking at them. 

“Mikey said you’ve found the love of your life.” Chester smirked, making the man next to him giggle. 

Brad blushed. 

“So, who’s she? When will we meet her?” The singer asked. 

“You both are idiots.” The other one answered, shaking his head and left. 

The two men fell in a fit of laughter. 

“You are mean.” Mike looked at his friend, still laughing. 

“I know.” Chester grinned and finished his orange juice. 

“Alright, I really need to get some work done now.” The MC said and got up. “You can stay here if you want.” 

“No, I’ll call Jeremy and tell him that I’ll stay home today and then take a shower.” The singer replied, also getting out of bed. 

“Good.” The half-Japanese said. He really was worried for his friend and glad that he would take a break. 

“Thank you.” Chester smiled as he stood at the door, the tray in his hands. 

“For what?” The MC asked, raising an eyebrow, already at his desk. 

“Taking care of me.” The singer smiled at him before leaving. 

Two hours later the sound of the doorbell made Mike jump. He quickly got up and made his way to the front door. There, Chester had already opened it. 

“Hi Sam.” Mike greeted the woman after he stood next to the singer. She just shot a quick glance at him before focusing back on the other one. 

“Jeremy told me that you’ve called in sick today and so I just wanted to check on you and maybe keep you some company.” She answered with a smile. 

“How nice of you. I mean I’m feeling a lot better today, but someone thought a day off would be a good idea.” Chester grinned and squinted to Mike before he continued speaking. “So, um, do you want to come in? We can go to my room.” 

“Sure.” Sam smiled and entered the apartment, still not looking at the half-Japanese once. “I’ve brought you some tea as well.” She handed him a small package as they both made their way to the singer’s room. 

As the door clunk shut, the MC jumped a little. _’Why did Sam ignore me and why did Chaz invite her into his room?’_ He thought and suddenly his eyes widened. _’Are they more than just friends? Wait, am I jealous? No, Shinoda, don’t go there!’_ He shook his head. “Gosh, I’ve definitely been alone for too long.” He whispered to himself, shaking his head again and made his way back to his room.


	7. Questions

Chapter 7 – Questions 

The next day they met in Rob’s basement again. 

“Just washing it aside   
All of the helplessness inside   
Pretending I don't feel misplaced   
Is so much simpler than change 

It's easier to run   
Replacing this pain with something numb   
It's so much easier to go   
Than face all this pain here all alone” Chester ended the song and after the melody faded, he took sip from his water bottle. 

“Wow, that sounded awesome.” Mike smiled, sitting at his keyboard. 

“I agree.” Brad said, a broad smile on his face as well. 

The singer blushed a little. Suddenly the sound of an incoming call made them all jump. It was Chester’s phone which lied on a small table next to the sofa, slowly moving as it vibrated. He quickly made his way over, taking the call. 

“Hi Sam.” He smiled and walked around the basement. The others were more or less watching him. 

“Sure, I’ll ask them and get back to you. Bye.” The singer said and ended the call. 

“Ask what?” Joe looked at him questioning. 

Chester smiled. “Sam invited me, well us, to a party this Friday.” 

“Oh, cool.” Rob said stretching. 

“Yeah, booze and girls. I’m in.” The Korean screamed. 

“So, I guess we are all going?” The singer asked laughing. 

They all exchanged looks and Mike started to wonder. He and Sam have known each other longer than her and Chester. They weren’t really close friends but close enough that she would normally invite him if there was a party. _’She’s acting different for a while.’_ ’ He thought before focusing back on his friends. 

After a few seconds everyone nodded in agreement, only the guitarist didn’t. 

“Brad?” Dave looked at the other one who didn’t seem to pay attention and was typing on his phone, a soft smile on his lips. 

“Mr. Delson!” The bassist said in a firmer voice. 

“Huh?” Brad looked at him confused. 

“Who’s Elisa?” Joe suddenly asked, standing behind his friend and glancing at the display of his phone. 

The guitarist quickly shoved it back into his pocket. “What was the question?” He asked as if nothing had happened. 

A grin appeared on the faces of the other five. They all now focused on the man with the curly hair. 

“Who’s Elisa?” Dave repeated the question. 

Brad blushed. ”She’s um, a colleague of mine. Um, yeah.” He answered. 

The grin in the faces of his friends became bigger. 

Suddenly it hit Mike. “Wait. Is this Elisa by any chance the woman you have spent the night with yesterday?” 

Chester squeaked. “Is she? Is she the mysterious woman who is the love of your life?” 

The rest of the band giggled. 

The guitarist still didn’t know what to say. 

Now the singer’s features softened, and he made his way over to their speechless friend. “Sorry, we are just really surprised that you’re not bragging about her and therefore think that it’s something more serious.” He slightly squeezed the right hand of his friend. 

“He’s right.” Dave interfered, smiling softly. 

Brad sighed and shot a shy smile. “Um, alright. She’s new at the company and um, we just get along well, and I don’t know, one thing led to another and we were texting and then she asked if I wanted to come over.” He blushed again. 

“Aw, that’s cute.” Chester smiled, making the others laugh. 

“The question is: Does she want to spend time with you again disregarding of work?” The drummer asked. 

Now the guitarist smiled. “She asked me if I would like to go on a date with her someday.” 

“Yes! A woman who’s not afraid to ask the man for a date. I already like her.” The singer stated with a grin. 

Everyone laughed out loud. 

“Sam is throwing a party this Friday. You can ask her if she would like to go with you or us.” Mike suggested. 

“Great idea Noda.” Dave smiled. 

“Um, yeah, I’ll ask her.” Brad answered with a soft smile. He really liked the idea. “But, um, can we focus back on making music now?” He asked. 

The rest of the band giggled again. The guitarist didn’t like to be the center of attention. 

Two hours later they were done and after packing up their stuff, they sat around, making small talk. 

“Say Rob, do your parents own a record player?” Mike asked the drummer. They both sat on the black couch. 

The other one thought for a second. “I’m not sure. Why?” He replied. 

“My mom send me my old records but I have nothing to listen to them.” The MC grinned. 

“I see. Well, I’ll ask them and get back to you.” Rob answered with a smile. 

“Thank you.” Mike said before getting up. “Do we want to order something to eat or should we go out?” He asked, looking at the others. 

“I don’t care as long as we eat something.” Joe grinned, making the rest of them laugh. 

Linkin Park – Easier to run


	8. Coziness

Chapter 8 - Coziness 

Darkness was all that surrounded Mike as he slowly opened his eyes. Something had woken him up. Suddenly he knew what was bothering him. He got up mumbling. _’I hope I can fall back asleep again.’_ He thought as he made his way to the bathroom. He really needed to pee. 

After a few minutes he went back to his room. He slowly closed the door, not wanting to make any noise that could disturb his roommates. Crawling back in his bed he suddenly touched something unfamiliar. “What the fuck?” He cursed loud as it moved and jumped off the bed. 

“It’s me.” The voice of the singer sounded in the dark. 

Mike breathed heavily. “Chaz? Are you fucking crazy? I almost got a heart attack!” 

“Sorry but I thought it would scare you even more when you’d enter the room, and someone talks to you all of a sudden.” Chester replied whispering. 

“Seems like that was a stupid idea.” The other one answered, a hint of anger in his voice, running his hand through is hair. There was no way he could fall back asleep now. 

“I’m sorry.” The singer sounded sad. 

Mike sighed. “It’s alright, you’ve really just scared me to death.” His heartbeat slowed down again. Carefully he got back into bed, maneuvering his way along the silhouette of his friend which he was able to see now as his eyes got used to the darkness. 

A few minutes past. The MC lied on his back and could feel the singer’s eyes on him. “What’s wrong?” He asked in a whisper, turning his head to the left to look at him. 

“I wanted to ask you the same.” Chester replied. 

“I don’t know. I feel wide awake all of a sudden.” He answered with a grin. 

The man next to him giggled. “Sorry.” 

“It’s okay, I’ll just start counting sheep or something like that.” He smiled. 

“I have a better idea.” The other one whispered and moved closer. “Turn on your right side.” His breath suddenly hit Mike’s ear, making him getting goosebumps. 

“Um, what are you planning to do? Should I be scared?” He asked, feeling a little insecure for whatever reason. 

Chester giggled. “No, but I know something that’ll help you to relax and get tired again.” 

The half-Japanese turned around and jumped a little as his friend started to run his hand through his hair, slowly massaging his scalp. Every now and then the singer let his hand wander down the other one’s spine as well. 

After a minute the singer’s voice softly sounded again. “Do you like that?” 

“Uh-huh” The half-Japanese answered, trying his best not to moan. He really enjoyed what his friend was doing. _’Gosh, that feels so good. Too good.’_ Mike felt how this started to turn him on. _’Great, I’m not used to getting affection anymore.’_ He thought, knowing he would need to end this soon. Going to the bathroom again to jerk off wasn’t an option. He let a few more seconds' pass. “Alright, let’s get back to sleep now. Thank you.” He whispered. 

“Okay, good night love.” Chester answered, pulling his hand back and moving further away again. 

“Night Chaz.” The other one replied, not moving. He would rather turn around, falling asleep with his friend in his arms. But he knew, his hard-on would probably be misunderstood. 

“Chester?” A voice asked in a whisper. Mike’s mind slowly started to wake up. “Chester?” It sounded again. He opened his eyes and let his gaze wander around his room. At the door Brad looked at him smiling. The way his two friends were cuddling you could really think they are more than just friends. “Morning Noda.” The guitarist said. The half-Japanese rubbed his eyes. “Morning.” He answered, his voice sounded rough. 

“I’m sorry to bother you that early guys but Chester, your phone seems to go crazy in your room.” Brad looked at the singer now. “Alright, I’m off to work. See you later.” 

As he was gone Mike started to stretch, only to realize that his friend lied on his left arm, snuggled up against his body. 

“Morning love.” The singer looked at him with a soft smile. He was tired still. The other one just smiled. His brain wasn’t fully functioning yet. 

“Guess I should check my phone.” Chester said, sat up straight and stretched his upper body before he got out of bed. 

The half-Japanese yawned. _‘What time is it?’_ He thought and turned around to check the time. _’7 a.m.? Fuck, that’s really early.’_ After putting his phone away he rolled over again, closing his eyes. 

A few seconds later he heard footsteps coming closer and then the mattress under him started moving slightly. He jumped a little as someone lifted his right arm. He peeked and saw the singer, just in his boxers, getting under the blanket again, pressing his back against the MC and taking his arm to place it over his upper body. Mike smiled. He really enjoyed the warmth and physical contact. 

Suddenly Chester rose to speak. “Can you wake me up in about an hour?” His voice sounded dull as he had covered himself up to his nose. 

“Sure, just wake me up in about an hour.” The other on giggled, making the singer laugh before snuggling a little more into his neck. 

A loud melody disturbed the peaceful silence. It was the ringtone of Chester’s phone. 

“Sorry love but I gotta go.” The blonde one sighed and turned around to face his friend. “Jeremy called in sick today. Sam texted me to ask if I could help out and come to work early or even right away if Nicole can’t come.” He explained. “Seems like she can’t.” 

“Can I stay here?” Mike asked in a low voice, eyes closed again. 

The singer giggled once more. “Gosh, you look so fucking cute right now.” 

His counterpart grinned. 

“Do you need to set an alarm?” 

The MC shook his head. 

“Well, then go back to sleep.” The singer said, quickly stroking his friend’s head and got out of bed.


	9. The truth

Chapter 9 – The truth 

“And then they looked at me like I was the freak.” The voice of Elisa sounded, making everyone laugh. A few of the guests of the party, including Mike, Chester, Brad, Elisa and Rob were sitting around the bonfire. The company of the guitarist was telling a story from work. 

“She’s funny. I like her.” The singer whispered into Mike’s left ear, making him getting goosebumps. They have been at Sam's party for round about five hours now and all were a little drunk already. 

“Yeah, me too.” The MC smiled, looking into the glassy eyes of his friend next to him. Chester yawned and let his head rest against the other one’s shoulder. 

“Tired?” Mike asked in a quiet voice, leaning his own head on the singer’s one. 

“Nope, just a little tipsy.” He replied and giggled. 

“Can relate.” The half-Japanese laughed. “So, do you want another drink?” He asked with a grin, carefully moving his body so the other one wouldn’t fall over. 

“I still have some beer left but thank you.” The singer replied after sitting up straight again, showing his half full bottle of beer. 

“Alright, I’ll be right back.” The MC said with a smile, got up and made his way to the kitchen. 

As he entered the house, Sam suddenly stood in front of him. “Um, can we talk?” She asked, looking kind of nervous. 

The MC rose an eyebrow. “Sure.” He replied and they went into a quieter corner of her backyard. 

“I like you.” Sam stated as they’d stopped. Even though it wasn’t very bright where they were standing, you could see how her face turned red. 

“Um, what?” Mike looked at her questioning. 

“I like you.” She repeated and blushed even more. “I mean I have a crush on you.” 

“Oh, um, I, um I don’t know what to say.” This caught him by surprise. 

Sam looked sad know. 

“Don't you like Chester? I mean you have kind of ignored me for a while.” He asked, visibly confused. 

His counterpart looked to the ground. “I wanted to make you jealous.” 

There was silence for a few seconds. 

“So, you and Chaz never, um.” 

“What? No.” Sam interrupted him. “I just thought, um, that you would get jealous if I would flirt with him and um, that you would realize that you like me too.” 

Mike could see that she felt very embarrassed but somehow, he kind of felt happy right now. 

“I’m gay.” He said with a straight face. 

“What?” She looked at him confused. 

“I’m sorry Sam, but I’m gay. I mean, I like you but not like that. I don’t like women like that in general.” The half-Japanese smiled weakly. He still felt sorry for her. 

“You are gay?” She asked in disbelief. 

Her counterpart nodded. “Are you mad?” Even though they have known each other for a while now this has never been a topic. 

“What?” No. I’m just a little surprised and embarrassed, that’s all. Guys like you normally like girls I thought.” She blushed again, tucking some hair behind her left ear. 

“What? What does ‘guys like me’ mean?” Mike raised an eyebrow. 

Sam giggled. “Well, you’re good looking, funny and smart. I just thought you would date girls.” She replied. 

Now the MC started laughing. He would never use those words to describe himself. 

“I’m sorry, I know that it was a very childish thing to do. You would have every right to be mad at me.” She apologized and looked to the ground. 

“It’s alright.” Mike smiled softly. “Hug?” He asked. 

The woman in front of him smiled nodding. 

“What took you so long?” Chester asked as the half-Japanese sat down next to him again. 

“Sam told me that she likes me.” The other one answered, taking a sip from his beer. 

“What?” 

“Yeah, that’s why she was acting kind of weird lately. She has a crush on me. She didn’t know that I’m gay.” Mike laughed. He really wouldn’t have thought she liked him instead of Chester. 

“Oh right, she did ask me some weird questions about you a while ago. I thought she just wasn’t really good at small talk.” The singer said laughing, scratching the back of his head nervously. “Sorry, I should have suspected something.” Chester blushed. 

Suddenly it hit him. “Wait. What?” He looked at his friend in disbelief. “You are gay?” He paused. “I really thought you would date girls. I mean I’ve never heard you talk about or see you with someone one the other hand.” He suddenly felt sorry. He didn’t want to jump to conclusions. 

The MC started laughing. The alcohol in his blood made this situation even funnier. He didn’t mind that others thought he was straight but two people in a row was just hilarious. 

“So, your hard-on every other night was not just because you had a nice dream?” Chester then asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Now Mike froze for a second. “What? Um, no, I swear to God, I never wanted to take advantage of you.” He said, his heart started beating faster. He had always tried to hide this reaction of his body from his friend. What if the other one thought he was disgusting after all those nights they had spent together especially now since he knew that he liked men? 

“Never?” Chester replied shocked but soon a smirk appeared on his face. 

The MC didn't understand. Didn’t his friend mind? 

“Oh, come on Mikey, I really could use a boost of my self-esteem here.” The singer said laughing. 

“What?” The half-Japanese looked lost. 

“You’re adorable.” The petite one smiled softly. “I was just joking. I know that you’re not one who would take advantage of others.” He squeezed the MC’s hand slightly. 

Mike felt relieved. He really was scared that his friend would be weirded out. “So, um, you’re not freaked out or mad?” 

“What? No, why should I.” Chester answered before taking a sip of his beer. “The only thing I’m mad about is that it seems like you’ve not thought about me naked even once.” He grinned. 

“I’ve never said that.” Mike smirked before he blushed. The beers had made him braver. 

“Fuck, that’s hot.” The singer laughed out loud. “So, I really should start sleeping naked I guess.” He winked at him. 

“Guys?” Dave’s voice sounded and within a few seconds he stood next to them. “Me and the others would head home now. Do you want to come with us?” He asked with a slightly heavy tongue. 

Mikes mind was racing. _’Why did he wink at me? Is he gay too? Fuck, it would be weird asking him now, wouldn’t it?’_

“Sure.” Chester answered, getting up. “Love?” He turned around to look at his friend. 

“Um, yeah.” The other one answered, still a little perplex and got up as well. 

“Night guys.” Brad smiled, holding hands with Elisa after they’d entered the apartment. 

“Night.” Mike and Chester said in union while taking of their shoes and jackets. 

“Love?” The singer asked, looking at his friend. “Can I sleep in your room? I guess they’re going to fuck, and I really don’t want to listen to that.” He stated laughing out loud. His room was right next to the one of the guitarists. 

“Sure.” Mike replied laughing as well and they made their way into his room. 

As both laid in bed, starring at the ceiling, the MC suddenly rose to speak. “I really thought Sam had a crush on you instead of me.” 

Chester turned on his right side, facing his friend. “Really? Well, even if she did, my last relationship was awful. I’m really not looking for anything or anyone at the moment.” He replied, smiling weakly. 

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Mike answered. _’So, he does like women.’_ He thought and sighed. “Night Chaz.” 

The singer slid closer, snuggling up against his friend. “Night love.” He replied. 

The MC smiled, wrapping his arms around the other one, pressing him a little more against his body. It didn’t matter if his friend was straight or gay. He still could enjoy moments like this.


	10. Changes

Chapter 10 – Changes 

Three days later Mike stood in the kitchen, drinking coffee and thinking about the errands he needed to run before he had to sit down at his desk and get some work done. They had planned on practicing this afternoon again as well. Suddenly he heard the alarm of Chester’s phone going off. After a few seconds it was shut off immediately. 

Ten minutes later there was still no singer to be seen as the MC stepped out of the bathroom. He knew his friend had the day off but if he had set an alarm there probably was something else, he needed to take care of. He quickly grabbed his coffee and made his way to him. 

“Chaz? Don’t you need to get up?” Mike asked, after softly knocking on the door and stepping into the other one’s room. 

“The person you’ve called is temporarily not available. Please try again later.” Chester mumbled into his pillow. He really was tired. 

The MC giggled. “Come one.” He said and walked to the bed. “Do you want a sip from my coffee to awake a little more?” He asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed. _’Gosh, he’s so cute.’_ He thought with a soft smile. 

Chester opened his eyes, looking at his friend next to him. His head was still pressed into the pillow as he lied on his stomach. “Can you put the mug aside?” His voice was quiet. 

Mike was confused but did as he was told. 

Suddenly the singer moved, lifted his blanket and grabbed the half-Japanese to pull him towards his own body. The other one was caught off guard and therefore couldn’t react. After a few seconds he lied on his back next to Chester who covered them with the blanket. He then snuggled up against his friend, pressing his head into Mike’s neck. “See, it’s not that easy to get up if it’s that warm and cozy here.” 

The MC giggled and carefully started to stroke the lower back of his friend. “Five more minutes and then we get up, okay?” He asked with a soft smile. 

Chester just nodded, throwing his arm around the upper body of the other one, cuddling up to him a little more. 

**ding dong**

The half-Japanese turned off the vacuum, looking around. He wasn’t sure if he had heard something. 

**ding dong**

He put the vacuum aside. After the singer finally got up this morning, he was able to clean up. 

He walked to the door and opened it with a soft smile. 

“Mom?” Mike looked at the woman in front of him in surprise. 

“Hello Michael.” She smiled. 

“What are you doing here? Did something happen?” He asked. It was unusual for his mother to visit him just like that. 

“No, everything’s fine. I was just near here and thought I’d say hello. Can I come in?” She replied. 

The MC nodded, stepping aside. 

“Love? Who’s there?” The voice of the singer suddenly sounded as he appeared from his room. 

“Chester, that’s my mom. Mom, that’s Chester.” Mike answered. 

“Oh, hello Mrs. Shinoda, nice to meet you.” The singer walked towards her to shake hands. 

“You can call me Donna. Hello Chester.” She smiled friendly. Her son had already told her about his new roommate a few times. Even though he had never mentioned that they were that close already. 

“Do you want a coffee?” Mike asked while leading her into the kitchen. 

“No thank you but I have brought you some chicken soup. Did you eat the last one I’ve left in your freezer?” Mrs. Shinoda asked, reaching into her bag, pulling out a rather large container. 

“That soup you gave me as I was sick the other day was from her?” Chester looked at the MC questioning. 

The other one smiled nodding. 

“Wow, it was delicious, and I think it cured whatever I had within a single night.” The petite man stated with a smile, remembering how his friend had taken care of him. 

“Yeah, mom’s famous chicken soup could probably even cure a broken leg.” Mike laughed. 

“Well, every good recipe has a secret ingredient.” Mrs. Shinoda smiled, looking at both men. 

“And what’s yours Mrs., I mean Donna?” Chester asked with a grin. 

“You can’t ask her that. She tells no one.” The half-Japanese interfered. 

His mother took a few steps until she stood next to the singer. “Love.” She whispered into his left ear before she smiled at him. 

“Hey! You’ve never told anyone your secrets before.” Mike stated surprised. 

“Well, things change Michael.” She grinned, making Chester giggle. 

Suddenly the sound of the opening front door made them turn their heads towards the hallway. 

“Oh, hi Donna, nice to see you.” Brad said as he entered the apartment. “How are you?” 

“Hello Bradford, I’m fine and you?” She greeted him with a smile. 

“I’m fine too.” He replied, smiling as well, making his way towards her to give her a hug. 

“Michael, can you put that into the freezer please?” She asked, pointing to the container on the counter and started to move to meet the brown-haired man halfway. “Are they a couple?” She whispered into his ear as they embraced each other. 

Brad grinned. “At least they are not aware of it.” He answered quietly, shrugging his shoulders. Luckily both of his roommates were busy with storing the chicken soup. 

“I see.” The elderly woman replied with a smile. “Alright boys, I need to go now. Your aunt will come over later and I really need to clean up a little bit beforehand.” Mrs. Shinoda explained to her son. 

The men smiled and walked with her to the front door. 

“Bye mom.” Mike said and hugged his mother tight. 

“Bye Michael.” She replied before hugging Brad and Chester as well. 

“Take care guys.” Mrs. Shinoda smiled. 

“We will.” Brad answered with a soft smile. 

“Oh, and Chester, this secret ingredient makes everything better by the way.” She winked at the singer. 

He grinned. “I’ll keep that in mind.” 

After the door closed, Mike looked at his friend. “What did she tell you? What’s the secret ingredient?” He really was curious. 

“It’s not for nothing called a secret love.” The petite one giggled, slowly walking towards his room. At the door frame he turned around again. “Maybe, if you behave, I’ll tell you someday.” He winked and closed the door. 

The MC still hadn’t moved. Why did his mother had told Chester and not him? 

Brad laughed, noticing the look on his friend’s face and went to the bathroom.


	11. The past

Chapter 11 – The past 

“That’s also yours Chaz.” Rob said, holding the box with the food in front of his friend. 

“Give me a second. I just need to text Sam back.” Chester replied, tipping on his phone. 

“Alright. Thank you.” He said after a few seconds, put his phone in his pocket and took the box. 

They had been practicing for two hours and were in the middle of their dinner now. Today it was Chinese food. 

“So, what’s that with you and Sam?” Dave asked with a grin and mouth full of noodles. 

“What do you mean?” Chester looked at him questioning while taking a bite of his eggroll. 

“I don’t know. At the party the other day she was always looking in your direction.” The bassist explained. “And you communicate with her a lot.” He grinned. 

The singer laughed out loud. “Sam had a crush on Mike, not me. And we communicate because we work together and because she wants to hook me up with her brother and I just told her I’m not looking for anyone at the moment.” He answered, shrugging his shoulders. 

“Wait. You don’t like women?” The Korean looked at him questioning. 

“Gosh, Joe, don’t say it like that.” Brad interfered, rolling his eyes. 

“What? I didn’t mean it like that. I don’t care if he likes men or women, I was just surprised.” The DJ shrugged his shoulders. 

Suddenly Chester grinned. “There’s no or.” He put the rest of the egg roll in his mouth. 

Joe looked at him confused as the others started laughing. 

“What are you laughing about? What do you mean with ‘there’s no or’?” The Korean asked, raising an eyebrow. He really didn’t understand. 

“He means that he fucks men and women.” Rob answered. 

There was silence for a few seconds. 

“Oh, well, to each his own.” Joe replied, shrugging his shoulder again and focused back on his noodles. 

The others exchanged a look and fell into a fit of laughter. 

“Alright, now that we’re aware of Chester’s sexual preferences, can we finish eating and then focus on music again?” The guitarist asked with a soft smile. 

The others nodded and they continued eating. Only Mike’s thoughts were running wild. _’Fuck. Wait. He’s bi?’_ He thought and started to smile. _’Easy Shinoda. He said he isn’t looking for something or someone and you’re neither. If he would be interested in you, he would probably have made a move already.’_ He shook his head slightly. They were just friends. 

“Love?” Chester’s voice sounded after the MC saw how the door to his room had opened. 

“Yeah?” He replied, lifting his head to watch the singer who stood next to his bed now after a few seconds. 

The other one looked at him with a sad smile. 

Mike’s heart hurt. He really felt sorry for is friend having those nightmares. He lifted his blanket and made some room for the other one to get in. 

After Chester had rested his head on his friend’s arm, near the shoulder, he sighed. 

The MC put his other arm around him, pressing him more against his body. Even though he really thought talking about his nightmares could help, he respected that his friend didn’t want to and just enjoyed comforting him. 

“Do you miss your brother and dad?” Chester suddenly asked in a whisper. 

This took Mike by surprise. He thought for a second. “Um, yeah, sometimes.“ He replied just as quiet. “But as I’ve reached my lowest point, I sought help and saw a therapist. I guess the pain will never fade, but things got easier.” His heart beat a little faster. It was kind of weird talking about it. 

There was silence for a while and the half-Japanese started to fiddle with the hair of his friend. Slowly stroking his head and letting his hand wander to the neck every now and then. 

“I’ve lost my mom to an overdose when I was ten.” The voice of the singer sounded. “I’ve found her in front of the toilette in the middle of the night as I got up to go to the bathroom.” He took a deep breath. “I’ve tried everything, but she just didn’t wake up anymore.” You could hear the pain in his voice. 

There was silence for a few seconds. Now he knew what those nightmares were about. “Fuck, I’m sorry.” The MC replied. This was heartbreaking. “I, um, I don’t know what to say but thank you.” 

The singer looked at him, raising an eyebrow. “Thank you? For what?” 

“For telling me about it.” Mike smiled softly, stroking the other one's head again. “I guess it’s not easy for you and if there’s anything I can do to help you in any way, just tell me.” 

“You already do.” Chester replied, smiling weakly before pressing his head against the other one’s chest, inhaling his scent. He really did feel safe here. 

The half-Japanese planted a kiss on the singer’s head. This time not thinking about the fact that it may seem weird to the other one. He just wanted to show that he was there for him. 

After a few seconds the petite one moved his head a little. “Love! What have you done?” He asked, eyes wide open, looking at him before turning on his back. 

Mike’s heart started beating faster. Did he do something wrong? “Um, what?” He replied nervously. 

“The stars!” The other one squeaked, pointing to the ceiling. It was covered with big and small stars made of plastic which glowed in the dark. It really looked like the midnight sky. 

A grin appeared on the MC’s face. 

“This is awesome!” Chester was excited and looked at his friend, a broad smile on his lips. 

“I’m happy you like it. It took me about two hours.” Mike giggled. “I’ve tried to make some zodiac signs too. Yours is over there and mine is right above us.” He pointed to some of the glowing stars. 

“My zodiac sign, really? Thank you.” The singer smiled sheepishly, reaching for the hand of his friend, squeezing it. He looked back at the ceiling, amazed. 

“Yeah, so every time you come here after you had a nightmare, you have something that makes you happy.” The MC replied with a soft smile. He was glad that his friend liked it. 

Chester turned to face the man next to him again. “But I already have that silly.” He smiled. “You.” 

Mike blushed and wore a shy smile, making the other on giggle. 

“Gosh, you are the cutest.” The singer replied. “Thank you.” And in the blink of an eye planted a quick kiss on his friends' lips, before looking at the ceiling again. “I really love it.” 

The half-Japanese was flabbergasted. He knew it was just a friendly gesture, but he could feel how a small part of him wanted to try to make more out of it. He slightly shook his head, carefully taking a deep breath. “You’re welcome.” He answered. 

Chester smiled at him again, slid a little closer and pulled the other one’s arm over his bare chest, still holding hands and looking at the ceiling. 

After a while Mike felt how his eyes became heavy. He peeked to the left, looking at the singer who seemed to be sleeping peacefully already. The MC smiled. Carefully he pulled his friend a little closer, gave him another soft kiss on the forehead and closed his eyes as well.


	12. Signs

Chapter 12 - Signs 

“Fuck, my head hurts.”, Mike sighed, massaging his temples as he stepped out of his room. 

“What’s wrong love?” Chester asked, putting his phone away. He lied on the couch while Brad sat on the armchair and was playing games. 

“I have this new assignment and this client changes her opinion every other minute and it’s driving me insane.” The MC answered, making his way towards his roommates. There, the singer made some room by sitting up straight so his friend could join him on the couch. 

“Do you want to go out tonight to let off some steam?” The guitarist asked, not taking his eyes of the TV. 

“Yeah, let’s go dancing.” The singer said excited. 

“But I can’t dance.” The half-Japanese replied, resting his head on the cushion of the backrest and closed his eyes. 

Brad paused his game, looking at his two roommates. “Yeah, we know.” He laughed. 

Mike stuck his tongue out at him while running his hand over his face and through his hair. He could really use a break. 

“We don’t have to go dancing. We can just go to a bar and have a drink or two.” Chester suggested while carefully pulling the MC towards himself. After a few seconds Mike’s head rested on the singer's thighs, eyes still closed. He trusted his friend and really was exhausted. The other one then started to slowly stroke his hair. 

“Alcohol sounds good.” The half-Japanese replied with a soft grin, enjoying the touch. His headache already started fading. 

Brad smiled as he watched them. It was funny how his friends never seem to notice how much they acted like a couple. “Alright, alcohol it is then.” He laughed and continued to play his video game. “I’ll text the others if they’d like to join us.” 

Later all six of them were at the bar, having small talk and drinking beer. 

“How many songs do we need to make an album?” Dave asked, putting a pretzel in his mouth. 

“You are already thinking about making an album?” Rob asked, laughing out loud. 

The bassist shrugged his shoulders. 

“I’d say about ten at least.” Brad interfered and took a sip of his drink. 

“So, only eight to go.” Dave said laughing. 

“We should probably start selling EPs first.” Mike suggested. “Producing a whole album is expensive. Also, we do need to make sure people even want to hear our music.” 

“He’s right.” The guitarist answered. “I guess we should have at least five songs and then start to see if a bar or any club would let us perform.” 

The others nodded in agreement. 

“Alright, I’ll go and get some more drinks.” Rob said and got up. “Any special wishes?” He looked around. As they all just asked for another beer, he made his way to the bar. 

While Brad, Dave and Joe started to talk about this and that, Mike peeked at the man next to him. The singer seemed to be somewhere else in his mind. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked quietly, squeezing Chester’s hand under the table to get his attention before he started stroking it slowly. 

“What?” The singer jumped a little. “Sorry, I was lost in thoughts.” He whispered, smiling sheepishly. 

“Are you alright? Do you need anything?” Mike looked at him. 

Chester smiled, slightly shaking his head. “I’m fine, thanks love.” He replied, linking his arm with the MC’s one before holding hands under the table again. 

“Okay.” The half-Japanese smiled softly and focused back on the conversation of his friends. 

Two hours later the three of them were back at the apartment. 

“Night.” Chester said after taking of his jacket and shoes and made his way into the bathroom. 

“Night.” Brad replied. While stretching he followed Mike into the kitchen. 

The MC grabbed a glass from the closet and filled it with tap water. “So, um, how are things between you and Elisa?” He asked, taking a sip. 

The guitarist smiled softly. “Good.” 

Mike grinned. “So, it really is something serious.” 

His counterpart hesitated. “I don’t know. The sex is great, she’s funny and smart.” He replied. 

“Sounds like a yes.” The other laughed out loud. 

Suddenly the door to the bathroom opened again and the singer, only dressed in a black brief boxer appeared. With the rest of his cloths in his arms he passed the kitchen and went into his room. 

The guitarist stuck his tongue out at Mike who giggled. 

“Alright, I’m not asking any more questions.” He grinned. “But you know, someday you need to introduce her to us. Meeting at a party and having small talk isn’t enough.” The MC continued speaking, taking another sip from his water. 

“We’ll see.” Brad replied with a grin. 

Now Chester walked past them again and into Mikes room. Still only in his boxer. 

“Well, whatever the status of your relationship is, if you’re happy, I’m too.” The MC smiled softly, emptied his glass and put it in the sink before he made his way to his room. “Night Brad.” 

The guitarist looked puzzled before he smirked. How could the two of them still not see it?


	13. Trust

Chapter 13 - Trust 

“Morning Noda.” Brad greeted his friend as he stepped into the kitchen. 

“Morning.” The other smiled. “Coffee?” He asked, even though he knew the answer to that question already. His friend nodded and he poured some coffee into a mug and put it on the counter near the guitarist. 

Brad yawned and took a seat. Mike sat down next to him and looked through some news on his phone. 

“So, um, you and Chester are just friends, right?” The man with the curly brown hair asked his friend before taking a sip of his coffee. 

The half-Japanese looked at him, rolling his eyes. “Yes.” 

“Why aren’t you looking for a boyfriend then?” The other one asked. 

“Because I don’t need a boyfriend.” Mike answered, rolling his eyes again. Why couldn’t the other one just leave him alone? He had a good job, a place to stay, great friends to talk to and to have fun with. And whenever he felt lonely, the singer was there to give him some physical contact. He kind of had more than one boyfriend already, just without the sex. 

“What if I knew someone who would be perfect for you?” Brad asked with a grin. 

“I’d say you’re lying.” The MC replied, focusing on his phone again. 

“Oh, come on Mikey, give it a chance.” Brad looked at him with an encouraging smile. “If you don’t like him, I’ll never ever talk about that topic with you again. I promise.” 

The half-Japanese sighed. Maybe the other one was right. He knew he shouldn’t get too attached to the singer anyway. And meeting new people was always something he did enjoy. 

“What’s the worst that can happen? And even if you two are not going to be a couple or friends, you could just fuck.” Brad said, shrugging his shoulders. 

Mike thought for a second. “Alright, but just for a coffee or a drink, nothing fancy.” He replied. 

The guitarist smiled. “Yes!” He cheered. “I’ll set something up.” 

**knock knock**

“Yeah?” Mike asked, not looking up and rather keep working on his laptop. To finish this assignment in time he needed to put some extra hours of work into it this evening. 

“Hi love, still busy?” Chester’s voice sounded as he entered. 

The other one nodded. “What’s up?” 

“Nothing. I just wanted to say bye as I’ll head off to work now.” The singer smiled. “Jeremy asked me if I could do his night shift today and I’ll get his day off in return.” 

“Oh.” The half-Japanese replied and turned to face him with a weak smile. Somehow, he felt disappointed. “Well, um, alright. See you tomorrow.” 

“Bye love.” The other one smiled softly and left. 

The MC run his hand through his hair. He had gotten used to his friend spending the night with him most of the time. It just felt good to have someone to cuddle with. _’Gosh, I really shouldn’t get attached to him that much.’_ He thought, shaking his head, knowing, that someday this would end eventually. 

Mike’s mind started to wake up slowly as he heard the front door open and then close again the next morning. _’That’s probably Chaz.’_ He thought with a soft smile and pulled up his blanket a little more, knowing that it was too early to get up yet. His alarm wouldn’t go off until another hour. 

Right as he drifted off to sleep again the door to his room opened. He peeked to see what was going on. Chester carefully closed the door and started to undress. After he had hung his clothes, now only wearing his brief boxers, over the chair at Mike’s desk, he tiptoed to the bed. The other one was watching him all along. The singer then slowly got in and under the blanket, lifting the MC’s arm to put it over his body, pressing his back against him. The half-Japanese inhaled the scent of his friend before he rose to speak after a few seconds. “Aren’t you making breakfast today?” He asked in a whisper. 

The other one jumped a little. “Oh, sorry love, did I wake you?” He turned around to face him. 

Mike smiled, shaking his head slightly. “Brad will be sad if there’s no food if he gets up later.” He answered, eyes only half open. 

The singer giggled. “I’ve made coffee and bought some open sandwiches for the two of you.” He snuggled up against the other one again. “I wanted to enjoy some time here before you need to get up and I’ll be alone in my bed.” 

The MC smiled softly, wrapping his arms around Chester and pressing him against his body. It didn’t take long before both fell asleep. 

Mike looked at himself in the mirror. He felt anxious and excited at the same time. He never had a real date before even less a blind date. _’Easy Shinoda, you’re just going to get a drink with a completely stranger.’_ He thought and started to brush his teeth. One day after his friend had convinced him to go out with someone, the guitarist had already confirmed a day and time. _’Everything will be just fine.’_ He tried to calm himself down. _’Brad said that this guy is smart, funny and nice. There’s no need to worry. And if the worst comes to the worst, I’ll make up an excuse and leave.’_

The sound of the moving door handle made him jump. “Just a second.” He yelled and finished brushing his teeth. 

“It’s alright, I just have to pee.” Chester’s voice sounded and after a few seconds you could hear him walk away again. 

Mike sighed. For whatever reason he hasn’t told his friend about his date yet. “If it goes well, I’ll tell him about it.” He said to his reflection in the mirror before he gathered his clothes from the ground and made his way into his room to get dressed.


	14. This is not a date!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and the comments you leave :) I really appreciate it <3 I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. Even though, Mike and Chester don't seem to see what you all are seeing :D

Chapter 14 – This is not a date! 

As Mike arrived at the address Brad had given him, he looked around. It has been a while since he had visited this bar. “Be open for new experiences.” He whispered to himself and entered the building. He was early but this meant that he could already have a drink to loosen up a bit. 

“Hi love.” The voice of Chester made him turn his head. 

“Chaz? What are you doing here?” Mike asked. It wasn’t typical for the singer to come here. 

“Um, what do you mean?” The other one asked, sitting down opposite of his friend. 

“Well, neither you nor I or anyone of us come here often.” The MC answered, checking the time on his phone. There were still ten minutes left before his date would be here. 

“Um, is this a joke or something like that?” Chester looked at him confused. “Brad told me you wanted to meet me here.” 

There was silence for a few seconds before it hit the Emcee. “This asshole.” He hissed. 

“Did I miss something?” The other one asked before focusing on the waiter that arrived at their table, taking his order. 

“Brad had convinced me to go on a date today.” Mike explained. “But he didn’t give me any real details about the man, and I know why now.” 

“Oh, um, okay and I’m here to rescue you if he’s a weirdo?” The singer grinned. 

“Well, he’s a weirdo but in a good way.” The MC replied, laughing out loud. As his friend still looked confused, he continued. “Brad set us both up on a date. With each other.” 

“What?” Chester asked, now laughing out loud as well. “Really? Well, I didn’t see that coming.” He grinned. 

“Yeah, I’m sorry. Let me finish my beer and we can go home.” Mike smiled weakly. Even though he was skeptical at the beginning, he kind of was excited to have a date today. 

“What? Why?” Chester looked at him questioning as his drink was placed in front of him. “We still can have fun.” He smiled taking a sip of his beer. 

“So, um, we’re having a date now?” The MC asked, his heart started to beat a little faster. 

His counterpart smirked before his features soften. He could see that his friend felt a little uneasy. “We don’t need to call it that. We can just spend some time together as friends like we always do.” He shrugged his shoulders. 

Mike smiled. He liked that idea. They always met as a group but as he and Brad had moved here, it was just the two of them going out at the beginning. 

“But we are still going to kick his ass later?” He grinned, making the other one laugh out loud. 

“Of course.” The singer replied with a grin. 

“Would you like to go somewhere else?” Mike asked, taking the last sip of his beer. He was a little drunk already. Two hours have passed, and they had fun, talking about this and that but mostly about music. 

“Sure.” The singer smiled. 

“Any ideas?” He looked at him questioning. 

Suddenly Chester smirked. “Where would you go if this really was a date?” He too felt tipsy. 

Mike blushed. He never has had a real date before with going to different locations and stuff like that. He shrugged his shoulders, scratching his neck nervously. 

The singer reached out to grab his friend’s right hand, squeezing it slightly. “It’s alright, you don’t have to be ashamed of anything.” He smiled. 

“I didn’t have that many relationships yet and never have been on a real date. We just met at a bar or at a club.” He laughed nervously. 

“Yeah, me neither. I mean I’ve tried but at some point, every relationship became different.” Chester answered with a shy smile. 

“So, what would normal people do now? Where would they go? We could practice some dating behavior for future dates.” Mike stated laughing. He was glad that his friend didn’t judge him. 

“Great idea!” Chester smiled. “Let’s see.” He thought for a second. “I guess after a nice dinner or a drink, you would normally go on a walk or something like that.” 

“Yeah, sounds about right. Well, let’s try it.” The MC replied, calling the attention of the waiter. “It’s on me.” He looked at the singer who was reaching for his wallet that second. 

“Thank you.” The other one said, smiling softly. 

After the half-Japanese had paid, he got up, grabbed his jacket and hold out his hand. “Ready?” He asked his friend. 

Chester nodded, taking the hand of the other one and they went outside. 

“Fuck, the fresh air wasn’t a great idea.” Mike said laughing as they were walking along the canal, holding hands. He felt really dizzy. 

“Yeah, the alcohol doesn’t go well with it.” Chester replied smiling, resting his head on the left shoulder of the other one. 

“So, the first note we should make is: Don’t drink too much on a date.” The MC giggled. 

“Or just don’t go outside.” The singer answered, giggling as well. 

“Should we take a break to let the alcohol fade off a little?” Mike asked, looking around to find a place to sit down. 

The other one just nodded. 

As they set down on a bench, Mike stretched before letting his arms rest on the back rest. Chester leaned against his friend’s shoulder, looking at the lights of the city on the other side of the canal. “It’s really pretty here.” He stated. 

“Yeah.” The other one answered, letting his gaze wander. 

After a few minutes of silence, the singer yawned and folded his arms in front of his chest. As it was getting late it also got a little chilly. 

The movement caught the MC’s attention. He took his jacket, which he had put next to him on the bench and placed it over the other one’s shoulders before throwing his arm around him again, pressing him a little more against his body. “Do you want to go home?” He asked in a low voice. 

Chester shrugged his shoulders. “I’m just a little tired and the alcohol isn’t helping.” He giggled slightly. “By the way, noticing that the other one is freezing and giving him your jacket is something you definitely need to put on the list.” He looked up, facing his friend. “Thank you.” He smiled sheepishly. 

“You’re welcome.” Mike replied with a soft smile. 

“You are such a gentleman love.” The singer winked, making the other one laugh. 

“Alright, let’s go home, it’s really getting kind of cold now.” Mike said and pressed his friend once more against his body before carefully getting up. 

The singer smiled, grabbing the hand of the half-Japanese.


	15. Validation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we go again - and well, you've asked for it ;)

Chapter 15 – Validation 

Silence greeted both as they entered the apartment. 

“Brad? Where are you? We want to kick your ass.” Chester yelled laughing. The alcohol really unfolded. 

“Seems like he has left because he knew we would kill him.” Mike laughed, suddenly noticing a piece of paper on the kitchen counter. As he stepped closer, taking the note in his hand it took a few seconds for his eyes to focus. He was clearly drunk. 

“Hi guys, you are whether all over each other or you’ve planned to kill me. 😉 

However, I’m in a safe place and you can be as loud as you want 😉 

Love, Brad.” The note read. 

“He’s such a coward.” The singer laughed out loud, now standing next to the MC, leaning his head on his shoulder. 

The other one giggled and yawned. The alcohol was really getting to him too. “I guess we need to kick his ass tomorrow.” He smiled. “Bedtime?” 

Now Chester yawned as well before he nodded, grabbing Mike’s hand and they both made their way into the MC’s room. 

After they had changed and lied in bed for a few minutes Chester suddenly started laughing. 

“What’s so funny?” Mike asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Well, somehow this kind of ends like the dates I had so far.” The other one replied. “In bed.” 

The MC blushed before he spoke. “I’ve never brought someone home with me the first time.” 

“Never?” Chester turned to his side and looked at him in disbelief. 

The other one shook his head embarrassed. 

“That’s not a bad thing love, don’t be ashamed.” The singer grabbed the hand of his friend. “I was just wondering. I mean, what do you do when you realize that it’s nothing more than just sexual attraction?” He genuinely was curious. 

“I get turned down.” Mike shrugged his shoulders. 

“What?” The singer sat up straight, looking confused. “Are you serious?” A hint of anger in his voice. 

“Um, yeah. But as I said, I never really had a date in the first place.” The MC replied, still laying on his back. 

“Some humans are trash. I mean, who wouldn’t want to fuck you?” Chester said, shaking his head. He really didn’t understand. “Believe me, whoever turns you down is an idiot.” 

The other one blushed, smiling sheepishly. 

“See, you are just the cutest.” The singer giggled and lied down again but this time letting his head rest on the half-Japanese's stomach so he could look at him. “I’m sorry that you had such bad experience.” He sounded sad. 

Mike yawned before he smiled softly. “Don’t be, it’s not your fault.” He started to stroke Chester’s head, fiddling with his hair. “We did some good research today, I’m sure I’ll be better on a date next time.” He grinned. 

“Well, I’d give you ten out of ten.” The petite one giggled before he thought for a second. “Even though I can’t rate the most important thing of a date.” He stated. 

The other one raised his eyebrow. “What’s that?” 

“The Kiss.” Chester answered matter of fact. 

Mike just nodded. “Right, but I think I’m not that bad at kissing.” He shrugged his shoulders. 

“That’s what I’d say about myself and blow jobs.” The singer replied with a smirk. Both burst into laughter. They were really drunk. 

“Unfortunately, I’m too drunk to prove you that I’m right.” Chester continued speaking with a grin. 

“That’s a bummer.” The MC giggled. The alcohol made him more confident. “Do I need to prove to you that I’m a good kisser?” He asked in good faith. 

The other one thought for a second. “I mean, it wouldn’t hurt to get another opinion, would it?” 

Mike shook his head as the face of the singer came closer already. 

Within the blink of an eye their faces were only a few inches away. It felt like time stood still as the half-Japanese could feel the other one’s breath on his lips. And just like that they kissed. Instinctively the hands of the MC made their way to the singer’s face, holding on to it as he reinforced the kiss. It became even more passionate as their tongues met. Now Mike slowly placed his right arm around Chester, moving both of their bodies so the singer was on his back and he above him. 

After a minute they stopped, looking at each other, both a little out of breath. 

“Fifteen out of ten.” Chester was the first one to speak, a grin appeared on his lips. Mike giggled. “Thank you.” He replied, letting go of his friend and lied on his back again. His heart was still racing. 

Another minute passed. 

“Love?” The singer asked after he’d slid closer, snuggling up against his friend and throwing his left leg over the other one's lower body. 

“Hm?” 

“Do you have a hard-one?” 

Without hesitation the other one answered. “Yeah.” The sober part of his brain which would be embarrassed now was already asleep. 

“Me too.” Chester replied, pressing his lower body a little more against his friend to prove it, making him giggle. “You are really good at kissing.” 

“You too.” Mike said in a low voice. 

After a few seconds the singer rose to speak again. “Night love.” 

“Night Chaz.” 

Tired, drunk and a little aroused they both fell into a deep slumber.


End file.
